Many fans of seafood do not know exactly how to determine if what they are eating is of high quality. Quality restaurant seafood is a rare thing in the industry. Many restaurants serve seafood, but do so from ingredients that are far from fresh and local. So as a restaurant goer, how do you know whether or not you are eating quality seafood? There are some things you can do to make this determination.
Research or Ask the Staff Where the Seafood Comes From
If you talk to a manager of a restaurant and ask them where their seafood comes from, they should be able to give you an answer. If they can’t, chances are that they are buying the seafood from a big company that is not going to be supplying the freshest stuff from the sea. You want a restaurant where they can tell you that they buy their seafood fresh on a daily or weekly basis from local fishermen and women. This is going to tell you just how fresh the seafood is.
Seafood Taste Can Speak to the Quality
Trying to order a seafood dish that is not overly loaded with spices, smothered in butter, or some other form can also help you determine the quality of the food. Seafood that, on its own, is full of juice and taste is going to be of the highest quality. Ordering something that is not overdone by a chef will help you gauge this. Broiled fish is a great example doing this type of taste test on your own. As a seafood fan, you are going to know immediately whether or not you are eating a piece of quality fish the second you take a bite from the taste. Let your own taste buds be the judge on this one.
Check for Dryness
Fish that is overly dry is due to one of two things. Option one is that the fish was overly cooked by a chef. The second reason is that the fish that was cooked was previously frozen and could not be brought back to the originally juicy form. Either way, you are going to end up with fish that is of not the highest quality if it is too dry. Checking for this and again, relying on your own taste buds, is going to let you come to the same conclusion no matter the cause. The end result in either case is a piece of fish you will not want to eat again.
Quality seafood is something that is often coveted in the restaurant arena. Restaurant goers and seafood fans in general are always striving to find establishments that serve up unique and tasty twists on the classics. The quality of the seafood is going to dictate the level of enjoyment that guests get out of the meal. Trust your taste buds and do not be afraid to ask management at your local restaurant to gauge the quality of the meal in front of you before you take a bite.